Chapter Fifteen
Across the stars, Master Pina felt the death of Xendor from on Ossus and his heart was heavy with the grief he undoubtedly shared with his daugher, Arden. When Pina had ordered Xendor's life be spared all those years ago, he had hoped for peace between the Jedi Order and the Dynasty. He had hoped that by sparing a child of the last great King, he could somehow pay the blood that stained him. Now thanks to Tiberius and the vengeful fallen god called Loki the Destroyer, those chances were busted into dust like all Pina had hoped for either Xendor or his own beloved daughter.
What have I done? Is this monstrous war all my fault because of that act of compassion? Pina asked himself grimly. How could he not blame himself at least partly for the conflict forming when he had encouraged Xendor and Arden to be true to who they were and not who the Order was? Was it his fault as much as anybody else's that this war and the Devouring started in the first place?
"Excuse me, Master Pina: Master Tiberius has united with the Bunduki troops and is presently engaging the criminals already fighting each other there. According to reports coming in, a shuttle from the enemy ranks has escaped in the direction of Lettow. Tiberius has already allowed it to leave but he suspects that it is Arden carrying Xendor to the planet for a funeral. Shall we give chase to the shuttle ourselves, sir?" a scout asked.
"And disrupt funerary customs befitting both the Jedi Order and the Legions of Lettow? No, we'll give them time to cremate Xendor and besides, our arrival there is inevitable anyhow," Pina said. "Yes sir," the scout replied, bowing as he left Pina to return to his meditation. Patricia, I'm so sorry; I've failed our daughter and I've failed you Pina said to himself.
All is not yet lost, my love. There is still a way to save Arden even if it will cost you your life to do so he heard her say. I know I can place her in the morichro trance and save her that way but is it the right thing to do? he asked the telepathic voice of his wife. Trust me when I tell you that the future she will awaken to will be better than any we can provide her ourselves.
Besides, what does your heart tell you is right, love? she replied. He thought carefully about that, his old heart already stabbed with grief by having to turn on his daughter and sensing Xendor die. In the end, he would come to only one conclusion but he decided that he would pray for forgiveness to Arkanus first. "Forgive me milord but in order to save my only child, I must commit perhaps the greatest sin against your honor: to use the power of morichro to place her into hibernation.
"If I kill her, I shall be a traitor to my duty as a father and if not then I shall be a traitor to the Jedi Order and all the reasons I defend it. Lord forgive what I must do to satisfy both my paternal duties and my duties as a Jedi Guardian and protect my soul from the darkness of Stygia upon my death. This is all I ask of you, milord, amen," Pina said, kneeling before the statue of Arkanus during the whole time. The statue of the angelic warrior with a sword whose blade burned with fire in one hand and a scroll in the other as well as horns on the top of the head only stared back at him silently.
Pina gave a final formal bow after rising to his feet and walked away to make preparations for the trip to Lettow to defeat Arden Lyn and her Legions. As long as you do what is right, great Master Pina, I shall always forgive you any sins you may feel bound to commit. Besides, the Chronicler has decreed that the story of Arden Lyn's life shall not end by your hand a voice said. Smiling, Pina recognized it as the voice of Arkanus who was also known as Ashla and thanked him for his counsel.
"Well, well Theseus: it appears that we were destined to meet again on the field of battle. Tell me, how are your wounds from the fight on Mygeeto healing?" Tiberius mocked. "No better than they were when you inflicted them upon me but I should ask how your jaw is healing," Theseus replied. Tiberius recalled in that instant how Theseus had hit him hard enough in the jaw to knock out five teeth and swell the affected gums beyond use.
"Just fine, thank you. And now it's time for you to die, son of Kashi Mer and the Dynasty with you!" Tiberius exclaimed. Theseus immediately attacked by jabbing one end of his double-sided sword at the Jedi Master who expertly dodged it and even swatted it aside before going for the legs. After all, Theseus had superior height and reach with his weapon in his hands which needed to be neutralized.
However, Theseus was quick in coming around with the other blade and forcing Tiberius to duck under and find another way to go about reaching for his legs. This was especially true when Theseus jabbed with another side yet again and then started twirling his weapon in every direction. Tiberius expertly parried most of the strikes though he had to dodge some that we were beyond his ability to parry however, these were in the minority. Soon, the tide began to change when some of the scum attempted to intervene and help Theseus take Tiberius down.
Smiling, Tiberius killed three with relative ease and with one stroke to each of them before Theseus knocked the fourth aside and pinned Tiberius' sword with one end of his weapon. "I should have known you'd risk your life to save people who wouldn't care about you. Just as your King was killed trying to save you," Tiberius mocked. "My King was only doing his duty to ensure the survival of the Dynasty through the Guardians in case his children were killed by you," Theseus calmly replied.
"Then I don't suppose you know about the existence of Xendor, do you not?" Tiberius asked. "The existence of the Prince you hired Loki the Destroyer to end? Yes, I know about that just as I know Arden Lyn has escaped with his body from this planet," Theseus answered. Tiberius paled, amazed that she could have slipped in and saved him from under Danzigorro's nose.
But then, yet again, there were Legions sympathizers within the Order who chose not to leave for Lettow and perhaps, even with his content in accepting the Jedi way, Danzigorro had been one. Actually, it did explain why Arden was able to escape and why a taskforce had reported Danzigorro saying that he was the only survivor of a massive explosion in the caves. So with his last breath, he saved the life of the Queen of the Legions of Lettow despite his Jedi loyalties. Can't say I'm anything short of impressed by his courage in his last moments Tiberius thought, smiling.
"Your new queen may have escaped with her husband but the battle of Columus is lost to you now. If you are willing to surrender, I will grant amnesty to all your forces here and perhaps vie for your life being spared from execution by the Bunduki government," Tiberius goaded. "Die here, die there, it makes no difference to me now that I am all that's left of the Kashi Mer Dynasty. No actually, better to die here in honorable single combat than allow myself be taken hostage and executed," Theseus said.
The exchange of blows between the two continued until at last, Tiberius finally gained the advantage when he sliced on blade off the staff that held both sides and watched it spin away. From there on, he used his weapon pretty much as he would use a spear despite Tiberius still parrying it. Smiling, the Jedi Warrior even decided to cut down the shaft in order to further reduce the advantage of the weapon's reach. When Theseus only had enough from for his hands to use the weapon like a traditional sword, Tiberius parried a blow in such a manner that he then kneecapped the giant warrior.
After Theseus knelt down as a result of the blow, Tiberius then used the Force to send him cartwheeling onto his back. Following this, Tiberius covered the distance between himself and his target with a Force-enhanced leap that allowed him to land on Theseus' chest and aim his sword to stab. However, Theseus still had some strength in him and he caught Tiberius by the arms even with the Jedi enhancing his physical strength via Force Valor and Battlemind. By the time Tiberius was unable to push any further, the tip of his blade was only milimeters short of touching Theseus' jugular.
"I can keep this up far longer than you can, Tiberius. Better that you just let me stop you and then kill you now," Theseus warned. Tiberius laughed at the comment, finding it ridiculous to think of himself as the type to surrender in the duel but he managed to think of an excellent idea. Stopping Battlemind and Force Valor simultaneously, he let Theseus push him a little ways back.
In this very manner, Theseus was able to wave his arms away which left him vulnerable to an immediate counterattack from Tiberius. Grinning wickedly, Tiberius exploited this after insuring his balance atop the more massive Kashi Mer human and plunged his blade into Theseus' throat. Leaving it there for a few seconds, Tiberius allowed Theseus to choke on it as well as his own blood from the cut. Then he yanked his blade out rather savagely and looked at the result of his blow, unbelieving that Theseus was dead.
When he finally came to terms with it, he raised his bloodstained sword in victory and laughed maniacally, bragging about how he had finally destroyed the Kashi Mer Dynasty. "Victory is mine, the Dynasty is no more! Now, not even Master Pina can question my efficiency in dealing with a threat!" he exclaimed aloud. He continued laughing and shouting to the sky which were almost ready to start releasing rain though this wouldn't last long.
Five arrows shot away from pirate archers, three of them finding their way into Tiberius' stomach and side while two of them found their way into his chest. Shuddering and growling in pain, Theseus cut the tips protruding from his back and quickly yanked the arrows out of him. Clenching his belly Tiberius began hacking his way through the remaining ranks of pirates to ensure that he lived. Then another pirate came out of nowhere with a mace and mocked him about his mortality and hit his face.
The blow was enough to knock Tiberius' helmet off his head as well as leave nasty wounds in the right side of his forehead and face near the eye. Giving into his anger at the blow and his fear of dying, Tiberius violently replied and even saw to it that his sword reduced all his enemies to ash. "I will not be killed by a bunch of scummy pirates here on Columus!" he shouted, thinking aloud. Panic was setting and he hacked and slashed his way through the ranks until he almost reach the safety of his men.
Then the worst thing possible began to happen: his vision began to become hazy and he almost tripped over a few protruding rocks. Feeling the wound on his face, the touch burned his head as well as fingers which gave him the idea that the mace had been laced with poison. "Impossible!" he quietly exclaimed. Then a sharp pain to his head caused him to cry out and several Bunduki soldiers came to carry him away from the field, others defending him as he was pulled back to his tent.
By the time he was there, most of the remaining scum had been wiped out and the rest were in full retreat though they would soon be hunted down and also destroyed if they didn't surrender first. Only a few hundred surrendered for the execution the government was likely to issue them and Tiberius, through all the pain, was pleased to hear that not even half a thousand men had been killed in battle. Looks like it paid off to use the element of surprise and hurl the spears at the enemy first before then hacking away at them he thought before another sharp pain nulled his ability to think. "Get me to a Healer on Ossus, hurry!" he ordered aloud.
"What about the fate of the criminals, didn't you want to see that?" his captain asked. "I can't see if I'm dead, now can I? Get me on the first ship to Ossus and get me there fast so I can get a Healer!" Tiberius answered. The arrangements were made and Tiberius was sent on a medical frigate with hyperspace engines back to the home of the Jedi Order.
Columus was a victory after that and the Bunduki government ordered for the criminals to be executed all at once. The planet itself became a memorial for those who fell in the battle, including Xendor, and would not be visited again for another twenty-thousand years except by tourists. Bunduki's involvement in the conflict as well as the use of criminal rabble would be erased from history, stating it as a battle purely between the Jedi Order and the Legions of Lettow. In the meantime though, Tiberius gave the orders for the final stages of the war to be initiate from the Order's end.
"He was a good man who stood up for what was right. I didn't know him nearly as well as you did Arden but I do know there was a good reason that he was spared by Master Pina," Athena said. As the flames of cremation consumed Xendor and his bladeless sword, Arden continued to occasionally let tears flow from her eyes though she knew he would never have permitted even this. Now that he was dead, she was going to have to take charge and she couldn't allow her grief to guide her judgment.
"Athena, when I escaped with Xendor I saw troops from Bunduki being led into battle by Tiberius. The Followers of Palawa have betrayed us and likely revealed our tactical positions to the Jedi Order before declaring neutrality in this conflict. It'll only be a matter of time before Tiberius orders Master Pina to chase us here along those points, this may be the last stand we take," Arden said. "But do not spread that to the Legions, just yet: save that new for when Pina begins mobilizing," Athena said.
"Why in the universe would I want to do that?" Arden asked. "Because if you wait before reports come in of Pina and his army leaving, that should give you just the amount of time to prepare. By the time he arrives, your formations will be freshly established and especially vigilant," Athena answered. "You seem to know him better than any of us here, why don't I just hand leadership of the Legions to you?" Arden demanded rhetorically.
"Because even with my knowledge of Master Awdrysta Pina, I am careful never to let it boost my confidence to the point of hubris. After all, that old rapscallion never uses the same trick for any one enemy twice if he doesn't have to," Athena replied. "Sounds like a very versatile strategist and one that will be difficult to fight against if not downright impossible," Arden stated. "Don't despair, I see enough of your father in you to say that if anyone can beat Pina, you can.
"I also see enough of your mother in you to say that Pina will have pity in his heart should he successfully cut you down," Athena said reassuringly. "Athena, I will not let that happen but I thank you for your compliments anyway. Get some rest, I need your strength in the morning for it will be a long time getting our forces ready to gather into formation much less actually doing it," Arden said. Athena nodded, said goodbye, and left Arden to watch as the fires finished consuming Xendor.
Now only the Ashes of Despair remain, Arden Lyn. The Mark of the Dark Days has fallen upon you the Talisman announced. Excuse me? Arden asked it. Once long ago, there was Kashi Mer Queen who lost her husband in battle much as you have lost yours now.
She declared her husband's ashes to be the Ashes of Despair, created from the source of the Queen's sorrow. The Ashes, she declared, would be a Mark of the Dark Days that were to fall upon the Dynasty for the rest of her days even if she remarried which she did. As the curse only exists in those married to a Kashi Mer royal, it exists in you now as well the Talisman explained. And what are the Dark Days? Arden inquired.
The Dark Days are what they sound like: days where the person afflicted with the curse shall never know peace for sins wrought upon them by no fault of their own. There is only one way to break the curse: to know peace and love in your heart, mind, body, and soul. However, I sense that the curse will not be broken for you in this life but in a far distant life it confessed. So unless I learn to move on past Xendor, I am marked by the Ashes of Despair forever she said.
Afraid so and even I can't change that the Talisman admitted. All the powers of a god as powerful as the Ones and you can't remove an itty-bitty curse Arden mocked. I could do it but Gods are forbidden from doing such a thing as that, even the Chronicler is denied permission. The recipient of the curse has to be able to either remedy the curse for themselves or be destroyed it replied.
Arden shook her head and decided it was best to disperse Xendor's ashes across the plains of Lettow. If it couldn't remove the curse, she wanted to at least have a tangible base on which to start breaking it for herself. You have done well for yourself already, there may be hope yet for you breaking the curse the Talisman admitted. Smiling, she decided that she would meditate to rest and recover her strength for the battle that was sure to come.
"Sir, Master Tiberius has given the orders for you to begin mobilizing your troops for Lettow. Shall I prepare a fleet for our departure?" a soldier asked Master Pina. Pina thought about that carefully, not sure if he wanted to risk bumping into a naval fleet from Lettow. Besides that he had a feeling that stealth would be the best deal for the troops of the Jedi Order, this time around. "No, put the troops in civilian transports with hyperspace engines and have them conceal their weapons.
"We're going to get as far behind any naval defenses the enemy has and strike from the land first. If Xendor is wise, he'll have built a fleet at least sufficiently enough to counter any Jedi attacks to Lettow from space," Pina ordered. "Sir, is that wise? Tiberius has given explicit orders for you to take naval ships to the planet and wipe them all out," the soldier warned.
"I am quite sure that I wish to disobey Tiberius' orders in favor of a better idea that will have greater effect in scattering and exterminating the Legions than his plan. Besides, under his rules, the naval fleet could stall us enough for the Legions on the surface to evacuate and prolong this war. On top of that, his poisoned and weakened condition makes me acting commander of the Order. I make the rules for as long as Tiberius' health continues to disable him from taking proper command," Pina replied.
He also added that with Athena on the side of the Legions, she would know all the typical tricks of the Order and some of Pina's best strategies enough to guide Arden. With Arden's already remarkable intelligence, the Legions would stand a chance of overthrowing any direct attack. "As you wish, milord," the soldier said with a bow. Yes it is as I wish now that I'm acting commander of the Jedi forces and Tiberius is not, isn't it? Pina silently mocked.
Within the hour, unused civilian hyperspace transports were being filled with Jedi soldiers ready to embark on the journey to what many hoped was the final battle in this great war with the Legions. Pina himself boarded a one-man starship with no weapons and prepared to escort the disguise ships to Lettow. "Where were the days when the Jedi Order was tolerant of all beliefs? The days where the Dai Bendu, Baran Do, and even the Way of the Dark felt free to mingle with the Jedi?
"Gone are those days, traded for the corruption and greed brought on by the promise of wealth in the regions yet to be colonized by citizens of the Republic. Washed over us like a river over the rocks, disappearing behind the hills created by our long-gone forebears. And now I, Master Awdrysta Pina the last of those wise Masters, am ordered to stain my hands with the blood of my only child. How did it come to this?" Pina thought aloud when he had the privacy of his silent ship.
"Master Pina, we're ready to begin the jumps into hyperspace whenever you are," a soldier chimed in on the comlink. "Begin the jumps when I do, I want to be the one who gets us safely passed the lines without any trouble. If there is no fleet at all, I still would like to be front to guide you to a good location for landing," Pina replied. "Copy that," the soldier replied.
Then, despite keeping most of his focus on getting to the front of the army and initiating lightspeed, he still let his grief get to him at least slightly. This was the last thing I wanted for you, my dearest daughter Pina thought to himself grimly. Then he was off to destroy her and her way of living.